My Background
I co-founded SlideShare which was acquired by LinkedIn in 2012. I was with SlideShare/LinkedIn until early 2015. After exiting, I joined the Government of India’s Digital India program that's run by the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY). I have been working as the Architect for the DigiLocker National Project https://digilocker.gov.in/ (part of #IndiaStack).
Startup Investing
Post SlideShare, I have been angel investing. Some of my direct investments are - Locus, Lucideus, Sheroes, Yulu, LetsVenture, Tracxn, Squadrun, Adpushup etc. Also some Angelist syndicates - Open, TapChief, Gramaphone, Khatabooks etc. I am also an LP in some VC funds.
What I look for in Startups
- I'm inspired by startups that are striving to build innovative, next-gen tech products. Ideally they should be building products grounds-up from first principles, though not necessarily - the startup world is replete with examples of fast followers upending first movers! The key principle is how effectively you solve the user problem, whether first or not.
- I look for teams with passion, resilience and strong executional skills, that's backed up by the ability to work fast & adapt to changes. Over the years, I've come to believe the Darwinian maxim applies squarely to startups as well - It's not the strongest, or the most intelligent that win, but the ones that are most adaptable to change!
- If I run a syndicate, it means I've thoroughly evaluated the startup, met the founders & key team-members, visited their offices, evaluated them over multiple meetings and have developed a deep conviction that they have a strong chance of succeeding over the long haul.
- I'm usually sector agnostic. Given my background, what I know best are markets like consumer internet, social, content, deep-tech, SAAS, Enterprise, FinTech, EdTech, GovTech etc, but I’m open to other/new areas as well.
I've been fortune enough to live through a wide spectrum of experiences - India's startup ecosystem, Bay Area/Silicon Valley/global startups, the gov-tech landscape, IndiaStack etc. This has resulted in a strong, ever growing network for meeting and discovering high quality early stage startups. I get referrals from investors/VCs, startup founders, tech industry professionals, former employees, colleagues etc. Also - a steady stream of startups (Indian & global) ping me directly for mentoring, funding, networking etc.
I plan to syndicate a few deals through the year on AngelList.